Somerville man accused of assaulting teen inside bathroom at Boston’s Museum of Science, DA says

BOSTON — A Somerville man is facing charges after allegedly assaulting a teenager inside a bathroom at Boston’s Museum of Science this past weekend, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office announced Thursday.

Yandri Hernandez, 24, allegedly hid inside a bathroom on the first level of the museum before he came up behind a 15-year-old girl and placed his hands over her mouth around 12:40 p.m. Sunday.

DA Kevin Hayden’s office said the girl thought it was a friend of hers at first. Hernandez allegedly tried to restrain the girl before she screamed and ran out of the bathroom. According to the DA, Hernandez also exited the bathroom and ran away from the scene.

A witness who entered the bathroom told police she noticed the first and last stalls were occupied at the time.

When the witness entered her stall, she noticed black-and-white sneakers “abnormal in size for a female” in the stall next to her.

According to the DA, the witness “heard one occupant exit the stall followed by the other occupant.”

The witness told investigators she heard muffled screaming and a sort of physical altercation. When the witness exited her stall, both individuals had exited the restroom.

The DA’s office says video footage from inside the Museum of Science showed a man wearing all-black clothing and black and white sneakers enter the building shortly before 11:00 a.m. The suspect allegedly sat in the lobby near the bathroom for around an hour before entering, the DA says.

The following day, Cambridge police called state police and identified the suspect as Hernandez due to a distinct tattoo on his left forearm.

Hernandez was taken into custody on Tuesday, the DA says.

“This is a terrifying incident for anyone, particularly for a teenager simply enjoying an outing with a friend at a popular destination. This young woman’s description of her attacker, along with top-notch identification work based on the images disseminated by investigators, led to the defendant being spotted and arrested just days after the incident,” Kevin Hayden said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the museum said:

“The Museum of Science takes multiple steps to create a safe environment for our members and guests. We are grateful for the efforts of our own internal public safety team, combined with law enforcement officials, who were able to quickly identify the involved individual.”

Hernandez is charged with kidnapping of a child, strangulation or suffocation, and assault and battery.

He will appear in court for a dangerousness hearing on Friday.

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